VIJAYAWADA: At a time when the State Government is mooting protection of rivers and water bodies, the indiscriminate dumping of garbage by Tadepalli Municipality generated from the town on the banks of the Krishna river near Kanaka Durga Varadhi in Guntur district has become a major concern.
In this regard, members of Amaravati Walkers and Runners Association (Awara), who conduct health walkathons and marathons on the river bed, complain that a walk along the shore is a horrible experience with heaps of garbage not only piled up but sometimes burned, thereby causing pollution. The association has decided to knock the doors of National Green Tribunal (NGT) to make them aware of the issue and find a solution to eradicate the unhealthy practice.
Leave alone Tadepalli Municipality, other private establishments such as chicken centres, hotels, hospitals and others too are dumping garbage generated at their place into Krishna river bed. The visitors entering Vijayawada from Guntur are greeted with a pungent smell and air pollution from the garbage dump.
Residents of Tadepalli blame that the river bed has turned into a convenient place for trespassers from Vijayawada to dump wastes and other materials as the municipality officials are itself plying garbage lifting vehicles to dump garbage on the river bed.
Since 2012, Awara has been cleaning up the waste piled upon Krishna river to create awareness among people against pollution in the city. ‘’We found a lot of garbage, including puja items packed in polythene bags and clothes, dumped on the river banks between the three bridges downstream Prakasam Barrage. I am surprised to find Tadepalli Municipality officials indiscriminately dumping municipal wastes directly on the river banks during the cleaning operation,” said Ajay Katragadda, an environmentalist and founder of Awara.
Ajay sought for the intervention of the Municipal Administration to remove the piled up garbage and other pollution causing units along the shore before executing the riverfront development project. “The municipality, which is part of the State capital Amaravati, should focus on proper collection, segregation and disposal of garbage from the generating points,” said Ajay. He also complained that a majority of the garbage is littered on the roads due to lack of proper collection.
Speaking to TNIE, Tadepalli Municipality commissioner B Siva Reddy admitted that earlier, sanitation workers dumped the waste on the river bank but stopped the practice after receiving severe criticism from the residents. Reddy said that they have identified rock quarries in Kolanukonda village in the district for dumping the waste generated from the town. “Stern action will be taken against the workers if they continue to dump the garbage on the river bank. Proposals are under consideration to shift piled up garbage on the river bank which would be executed shortly,” he said.
Let Krishna breathe!
Residents of Tadepalli blame municipality officials who ply garbage lifting vehicles to dump garbage on the river bed
Other private establishments such as chicken centres, hotels, hospitals, etc dump garbage generated at their place into the river bed
Tadepalli Municipality commissioner admitted that earlier, sanitation workers dumped the waste on the river bank